Jamaat-ud-Dawa, added to U.N. banned list

A committee of the U.N. Security Council has added four leaders of a Pakistani militant group to a list of people and groups facing sanctions for ties to al Qaeda or the Taliban, including a freeze on assets and travel ban, the U.N. said .
The four are leaders of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, considered an al Qaeda affiliate that India has accused of being behind last month's attacks in Mumbai, which killed at least 179 people.
The militants added to the sanctions list include Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, which the U.N. statement described as the leader of the group.
The others are Pakistan-born Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, the group's chief of operations; Haji Muhammad Ashraf, its chief of finance; and India-born Mahmoud Mohammad Ahmed Bahaziq, described as a financier for the group who served as its chief in Saudi Arabia.
The same four were hit with U.S. Treasury Department sanctions in May. The U.N. sanctions, covered by Security Council resolution 1267 from 1999, include the mandatory freezing of assets and travel bans.
Earlier this week a former head of the Pakistani military's Inter-Services Intelligence agency said the United States wanted to include him on the U.N. blacklist, but he was not among the newly sanctioned individuals.
Long retired, Lieutenant-General Hamid Gul told Reuters in Pakistan the U.S. moves against him began several weeks ago, pre-dating the latest controversy surrounding the ISI.

Musharraf allies face major threat from Opposition

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's allies is facing a crushing defeat in the crucial parliamentary elections with early results showing the opposition PML (N) and PPP bagging most of the seats.
Key allies of Musharraf were ousted from their parliamentary seats in the violence-hit vote, while supporters of former premier Nawaz Sharif and slain politician Benazir Bhutto made gains in several cities.
With results for 125 out of 272 constituencies out, Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (N) had 50 seats and slain former premier Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party had grabbed 39.
Smaller parties and independents took 18.
Celebrations started early with jubilinat opposition supporters taking to the streets today as results started to pour in.